Humility is Good for the Soul

One of the reasons I started this blog was to sharpen my chemical skills -- skills which have been steadily declining over the years as my job has required less and less chemistry. I just played the “Can You Name the Elements in the Periodic Table in 15 Minutes” game and was reminded of just how little attention I’ve paid to the periodic table in the last 10 years. I expected that my score was going to be rather poor, and I was not disappointed. I only remembered 70% of the elements. I knew I’d have trouble with the actinides and lanthanides, but I also had trouble with the heavier main group elements. And even though I nailed all the transition metals, it required an embarrassingly long time -- embarrassing because transition metals are supposed to be my area of expertise. And it hasn't been that long since I've worked with the precious metals (Pt, Pd, etc.), so why did it take so long to remember rhodium, dammit? That’s pathetic. I also missed a few elements because I couldn’t remember how to spell them. Damn that praseodymium. Where’s the spell checker when you need one? Try the game at your own risk.